Challenge 28: The Zodiac
Zodiac, Inc.
Zodiac, Inc. was founded in 1994 as a security consultancy company specializing in private and corporate security. Two of its founding members, Inge Thomann and Ralph Granger, are still running the company today while the other two, Sébastien Perrault and Jessica Lowell, are dead and retired, respectively. Zodiac, Inc. is small and exclusive, providing personal security for the very rich or the very famous on an as-needed basis and consulting with companies about their security measures. They've also got quite the reputation for being THE company to call if you're being threatened - not only will they protect you, but they'll work with police (local and international) to find out who's threatening you and take them out.
Zodiac, Inc. has their main offices in Zürich, Switzerland, with satellite offices in London, UK, and Bucharest, Romania.
Zürich Offices
The Bosses
Inge Thomann (cast option: Jane Seymour)
Taurus; April 20 to May 20
Inge is one of the founding members of Zodiac, Inc. and co-runs the company with Ralph Granger. Inge is Swiss and speaks German, Italian, French, Swiss German, English and Spanish. Being a Taurus, Inge is strong and patient. She's a good listener and a great instructor and has guided a lot of young talent over the years. But Inge is also very stubborn, sometimes past the point of what's necessary. This stubbornness serves her well in her professional life when it's about dealing with difficult clients and long negotiations, but it can also lead to conflicts.
Ralph Granger (cast option: Ted Danson)
Cancer; June 21 to July 22
Like the other founding members of Zodiac, Inc. Ralph used to be an Interpol agent. A US citizen, Ralph originally moved to Europe because of his wife Délphine. As a cancer, Ralph is conservative and traditional, but has long since learned to keep an open mind about things. He's also very loyal and compassionate. He's definitely the calming influence in the office.
Field Operatives
Shani Mizrahi (cast option: Inbar Lavi)
Scorpio; October 23 to November 21
Shani is bold and confident, with an intense focus that makes her a great asset for the company. Shani feels that her previous training (two years mandatory military service after which she joined Mossad) has prepared her for just about anything. While Shani is friendly with everyone on the team, she is several years younger than most of them and hasn't really connected with anyone on a personal level.
Quentin Melville (cast option: Kevin McKidd)
Aries; March 21 to April 19
Mel dislikes his name (hence the nickname of Mel) and anything Scottish...which is somewhat unfortunate since he's from the nice little town of Bearsden right in the middle of Scotland. Mel is very creative and adaptable; he can react to changed circumstances on the fly and save the day. But Mel is also very strong-willed and impulsive, meaning that his creative solutions aren't always the right way.
Emma Eveline Segreti (cast option: Elisabetta Canalis)
Capricorn; December 22 to January 19
Emma is a Swiss-Italian thief turned good girl. Her unsavory past has helped the team out several times and she still has a lot of underground contacts that can provide much needed inside information. Emma is cleared for field work, but her past means she's under intense scrutiny. Nobody goes into the field without a partner, but Emma always feels like her partner (usually Brett) is keeping an extra close eye on her.
Brett Cameron (cast option: Noah Clarke)
Pisces; February 19 to March 20
Brett is quiet and unassuming, blending seamlessly into the background and keeping a low profile. But he sees everything - no detail can escape him. Sometimes he's a little too cautious, but his calm and measured approach helps whenever he's partnered with some of the more impulsive members of the team.
Alexandra Vescovi (cast option: Tara Elders)
Sagittarius; November 22 to December 21
Despite her Italian last name, Alex doesn't speak Italian and has never been to Italy. Alex used to work for an international company that develops security systems. She's always been curious about implementing these systems so she eventually made the decision to switch jobs. She's the team's expert on security systems and sometimes works with Emma when the job requires a security system to be deactivated rather than alarmed.
Thorbjörn Östlund (cast option: Charlie Hunnam)
Virgo; August 23 to September 22
Intuitive, smart and charming, Thorbjörn is one of the most popular "bodyguards" on the team. Thorbjörn is especially skilled at flying under the radar, keeping an eye on their client without making it obvious that he's there as a personal security guard. Thorbjörn is one of the newest members on the team, but his previous experience in the military and later the police force means he's not inexperienced.
Jerry Nevin (cast option: Gina Ravera)
Leo; July 23 to August 22
Jerry (short for Geraldine) is from London. She spent almost a decade in the army, including a tour in Afghanistan. After the army, she toyed with the idea of joining the police and maybe becoming a detective one day. Jerry has the best/worst "how I got this job" story: she was taking a holiday in France before making any final decisions about her future and pretty much walked into an abduction in progress. Mel was down with a gun shot wound and the pregnant wife of a rich Sheik was about to be abducted. Jerry stepped in and saved the day... after that her job interview was mostly a formality.
Tech Support
Zyta Bujak (cast option: Franka Potente)
Gemini; May 21 to June 20
Zyta is the head of the tech support division at HQ. Originally from Poland, she speaks several languages (like almost everyone else on the team) and is always up to date on the newest technology. With a lot of charisma and a quick mind, Zyta challenges and motives the tech team to give 110% every day.
Jan Dallinger (cast option: Alexander Ludwig)
Aquarius; January 20 to February 18
Apart from Inge, Jan is the only other person on the team to be born in Switzerland. When he's excited or really, really annoyed, Jan sometimes slips back into his native Swiss German tongue, making him nearly impossible for the others to understand. Jan is a little unorthodox, but he gets results. Jan's job is to provide tech support for anyone out in the field; he keeps an eye on who is where and who needs what.
Nora Margery Winthorpe (cast option: Ella Purnell)
Libra; September 23 to October 22
Nora's main job is research. She prepares the backgrounds on the clients and makes sure the field operatives have all the information they need before they find themselves in an unexpected and dangerous situation. Nora originally got into the business because her older sister was kidnapped when Nora was a teenager. She comes from money - her father is a baron in England - but neither she nor her sister had taken their bodyguards seriously, making a game of "slipping the leash" every once in a while. Her sister's kidnapping and her long recovery after she was freed gave Nora a new appreciation of the work.
Zodiac, Inc. was founded in 1994 as a security consultancy company specializing in private and corporate security. Two of its founding members, Inge Thomann and Ralph Granger, are still running the company today while the other two, Sébastien Perrault and Jessica Lowell, are dead and retired, respectively. Zodiac, Inc. is small and exclusive, providing personal security for the very rich or the very famous on an as-needed basis and consulting with companies about their security measures. They've also got quite the reputation for being THE company to call if you're being threatened - not only will they protect you, but they'll work with police (local and international) to find out who's threatening you and take them out.
Zodiac, Inc. has their main offices in Zürich, Switzerland, with satellite offices in London, UK, and Bucharest, Romania.
Zürich Offices
The Bosses
Inge Thomann (cast option: Jane Seymour)
Taurus; April 20 to May 20
Inge is one of the founding members of Zodiac, Inc. and co-runs the company with Ralph Granger. Inge is Swiss and speaks German, Italian, French, Swiss German, English and Spanish. Being a Taurus, Inge is strong and patient. She's a good listener and a great instructor and has guided a lot of young talent over the years. But Inge is also very stubborn, sometimes past the point of what's necessary. This stubbornness serves her well in her professional life when it's about dealing with difficult clients and long negotiations, but it can also lead to conflicts.
Ralph Granger (cast option: Ted Danson)
Cancer; June 21 to July 22
Like the other founding members of Zodiac, Inc. Ralph used to be an Interpol agent. A US citizen, Ralph originally moved to Europe because of his wife Délphine. As a cancer, Ralph is conservative and traditional, but has long since learned to keep an open mind about things. He's also very loyal and compassionate. He's definitely the calming influence in the office.
Field Operatives
Shani Mizrahi (cast option: Inbar Lavi)
Scorpio; October 23 to November 21
Shani is bold and confident, with an intense focus that makes her a great asset for the company. Shani feels that her previous training (two years mandatory military service after which she joined Mossad) has prepared her for just about anything. While Shani is friendly with everyone on the team, she is several years younger than most of them and hasn't really connected with anyone on a personal level.
Quentin Melville (cast option: Kevin McKidd)
Aries; March 21 to April 19
Mel dislikes his name (hence the nickname of Mel) and anything Scottish...which is somewhat unfortunate since he's from the nice little town of Bearsden right in the middle of Scotland. Mel is very creative and adaptable; he can react to changed circumstances on the fly and save the day. But Mel is also very strong-willed and impulsive, meaning that his creative solutions aren't always the right way.
Emma Eveline Segreti (cast option: Elisabetta Canalis)
Capricorn; December 22 to January 19
Emma is a Swiss-Italian thief turned good girl. Her unsavory past has helped the team out several times and she still has a lot of underground contacts that can provide much needed inside information. Emma is cleared for field work, but her past means she's under intense scrutiny. Nobody goes into the field without a partner, but Emma always feels like her partner (usually Brett) is keeping an extra close eye on her.
Brett Cameron (cast option: Noah Clarke)
Pisces; February 19 to March 20
Brett is quiet and unassuming, blending seamlessly into the background and keeping a low profile. But he sees everything - no detail can escape him. Sometimes he's a little too cautious, but his calm and measured approach helps whenever he's partnered with some of the more impulsive members of the team.
Alexandra Vescovi (cast option: Tara Elders)
Sagittarius; November 22 to December 21
Despite her Italian last name, Alex doesn't speak Italian and has never been to Italy. Alex used to work for an international company that develops security systems. She's always been curious about implementing these systems so she eventually made the decision to switch jobs. She's the team's expert on security systems and sometimes works with Emma when the job requires a security system to be deactivated rather than alarmed.
Thorbjörn Östlund (cast option: Charlie Hunnam)
Virgo; August 23 to September 22
Intuitive, smart and charming, Thorbjörn is one of the most popular "bodyguards" on the team. Thorbjörn is especially skilled at flying under the radar, keeping an eye on their client without making it obvious that he's there as a personal security guard. Thorbjörn is one of the newest members on the team, but his previous experience in the military and later the police force means he's not inexperienced.
Jerry Nevin (cast option: Gina Ravera)
Leo; July 23 to August 22
Jerry (short for Geraldine) is from London. She spent almost a decade in the army, including a tour in Afghanistan. After the army, she toyed with the idea of joining the police and maybe becoming a detective one day. Jerry has the best/worst "how I got this job" story: she was taking a holiday in France before making any final decisions about her future and pretty much walked into an abduction in progress. Mel was down with a gun shot wound and the pregnant wife of a rich Sheik was about to be abducted. Jerry stepped in and saved the day... after that her job interview was mostly a formality.
Tech Support
Zyta Bujak (cast option: Franka Potente)
Gemini; May 21 to June 20
Zyta is the head of the tech support division at HQ. Originally from Poland, she speaks several languages (like almost everyone else on the team) and is always up to date on the newest technology. With a lot of charisma and a quick mind, Zyta challenges and motives the tech team to give 110% every day.
Jan Dallinger (cast option: Alexander Ludwig)
Aquarius; January 20 to February 18
Apart from Inge, Jan is the only other person on the team to be born in Switzerland. When he's excited or really, really annoyed, Jan sometimes slips back into his native Swiss German tongue, making him nearly impossible for the others to understand. Jan is a little unorthodox, but he gets results. Jan's job is to provide tech support for anyone out in the field; he keeps an eye on who is where and who needs what.
Nora Margery Winthorpe (cast option: Ella Purnell)
Libra; September 23 to October 22
Nora's main job is research. She prepares the backgrounds on the clients and makes sure the field operatives have all the information they need before they find themselves in an unexpected and dangerous situation. Nora originally got into the business because her older sister was kidnapped when Nora was a teenager. She comes from money - her father is a baron in England - but neither she nor her sister had taken their bodyguards seriously, making a game of "slipping the leash" every once in a while. Her sister's kidnapping and her long recovery after she was freed gave Nora a new appreciation of the work.